Parker McCollum Stakes His Claim with New Self-Titled Album and Reflects on Working with Cody Johnson, Writing from the Gut, and Letting the Music Speak

For Parker McCollum, calling his latest project Parker McCollum isn’t just a nod to tradition, it’s a declaration. It’s an album that distills everything he’s learned over the years as a Texas-born artist who built his career from the ground up. From sold-out venues and Platinum plaques to personal sacrifices and creative battles behind closed doors, this record feels like a defining chapter for the singer-songwriter.

And while McCollum is no stranger to success, boasting chart-topping singles, ACM and CMT accolades, and a diehard fanbase, this new body of work finds him digging deeper, sharpening his focus, and leaning into the artist he’s always meant to be.

At the heart of it all? A reverence for the craft, a refusal to fake it, and a deep admiration for the people who’ve inspired him to show up with conviction every single time.

“Every Moment, Every Interaction, Full Conviction”: What Cody Johnson Taught Parker

One of the most talked-about moments on the album is McCollum’s collaboration with fellow Texan and country music heavyweight Cody Johnson. The pairing isn’t just musically electric it’s personally meaningful. For McCollum, it’s a full-circle moment with an artist he’s long looked up to.

“Man, he’s just so professional,” McCollum shared in an intimate interview with All Country News and other outlets. “I’ll never forget running into him at a radio remote everybody else is showing up in sweats and sneakers. And here comes Cody, dressed like he’s walking on stage at the Opry. I’m like, ‘Where are you going?’ And he’s like, ‘The same place you are.’ That’s just who he is.”

McCollum didn’t just notice the clothes. He noticed the mindset.

“Every moment, every interaction, he treats it like it matters,” he said. “And that really stuck with me. In this business, it’s easy to get tired. It’s easy to start phoning it in. But he doesn’t. Not ever. I respect the hell out of that.”

That dedication is woven into their collaboration on the album, where Johnson lends his unmistakable voice to a track that brims with heartland pride and powerhouse delivery. While the song itself is a highlight, McCollum says it’s what happened behind the scenes that made it truly memorable.

“Cody came in with that same fire,” McCollum recalled. “He doesn’t do anything halfway. He treats every note, every line like it could be the one that defines him. Watching that up close? It reminded me what it means to really care.”

Betting on the Muse: Writing Without a Safety Net

McCollum has never been one to chase radio trends or write songs just to fill a tracklist. His songwriting process has always leaned more toward alchemy than assembly line. He waits for the magic. And when it strikes, he doesn’t question it.

“I don’t want to sit down and force a melody,” he said. “I’ve had some that sat in my head for seven years before I did anything with them. And then there are others where I wake up with a melody in my head and write the song in ten minutes. You just never know.”

It’s an unpredictable process, but one McCollum has come to trust. Still, he admits it can be terrifying.

“It’s a crazy thing to bet your future on whether or not the light’s going to turn on again,” he said. “But I’ve been lucky. It keeps turning on.”

That philosophy shaped much of the self-titled album. McCollum didn’t come into the studio with a rigid plan he came with instincts. With honesty. With the belief that good songs don’t always come when you want them, but they come when they’re meant to.

“It Felt Like a Goodbye”: The Story Behind “My Worst Enemy”

Of all the songs on the new record, perhaps none lingers longer than the closing track, "My Worst Enemy". A sparse, soul-baring ballad that slowly crescendos into a cinematic farewell, it’s the kind of song that doesn’t just end an album—it leaves a mark.

Ironically, it wasn’t originally intended to be the album’s finale.

“We were cutting that song in the studio, just playing it down like any other track,”

McCollum said. “We hadn’t talked about it being the last song. But something happened during those takes, we started doing a live fade-out, and we were all kind of looking at each other through the glass, like... ‘This feels like something.’”

That “something” turned into a defining moment for the record.

“I mean, it felt like you were riding off into the sunset,” McCollum said. “We weren’t trying to manufacture that emotion. It just happened. And I think that’s why it works. You can hear it when a moment like that is planned. This one wasn’t. It was just... real.”

The songwriting process was just as organic. McCollum started writing the song while waiting for co-writer Wade Bowen to show up at his house. “He was running late,”

McCollum laughed. “So I just started messing around and ended up writing the first couple verses and the chorus. When he finally showed up, I played it for him, and he goes, ‘F*** yeah.’ Then we knocked out the rest of it together.”

While "My Worst Enemy" wasn’t born with an agenda, it ended up saying everything McCollum wanted the album to leave behind rawness, reflection, and the kind of vulnerability that hits hardest when you’re not trying to be vulnerable at all.

More Than Just a Name

So why Parker McCollum? Why put your name on the cover of an album in an era where personal branding and reinvention often eclipse authenticity?

Because for McCollum, this album is who he is.

And while the spotlight shines brighter than ever, McCollum remains grounded in the things that got him here: the songs, the grit, and the refusal to cut corners.

Whether it’s holding his own alongside Cody Johnson or crafting a closing track that feels like a curtain call on a chapter of his life, Parker McCollum is more than a new album. It’s a personal stamp on country music’s ever-evolving story, one written with conviction, carved out with care, and delivered without apology.

This self-titled album doesn’t just showcase his growth as an artist; it reveals the man behind the microphone, unafraid to be honest, to be vulnerable, and to stand still in the mess and magic of it all. In an industry that often prizes polish over truth, McCollum’s willingness to lead with heart feels like a breath of fresh air. With every lyric, every late-night melody, and every unplanned moment that found its way into these songs, he offers listeners not just music, but something lasting, something real.